Top 10 examples of media malpractice

The attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was the first successful terror action directly against United States’ interests since 9/11. The media hardly noticed that the president had been skipping national security briefings before the attack, or that he flew off the next day for a Las Vegas fundraiser. By the time U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice’s laughable assertion that the attack was a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Muslim film was discredited, and reports surfaced of previous security issues at the consulate, including ignored warnings, the media had moved on to more important things.

2. Economic unreality
Suddenly, the mainstream media are reporting that the country is becoming more optimistic as the economy gains strength. The problem with that meme is that it is based on a falsehood. The reality remains dire as a record number of Americans are not participating in the labor force, income levels have dropped, gas prices are up sharply, and economic growth is anemic and further weakening. With the same data under a Republican administration, the media would doing stories on the homeless crisis and impoverished children.

3. Fixation on Romney’s embassy statement
The media went apoplectic when the Romney campaign criticized a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo after a mob breached its security. The statement, deploring insults against Islam, was later rejected by the White House but the storyline was set in stone—Romney gaffed. The big three TV networks spent 20 times the amount of air-time that day on Romney’s statement than the combined coverage of Obama’s Mideast policy, the death of a U.S. ambassador, security in Benghazi, and mobs protesting America around the world.

4. Creating racism meme
MSNBC hosts are taking in the lead in creating the impression that Republicans are so racist that they merely need to say certain “dog whistles” that their followers will know are coded terms. So we are informed that saying “Chicago,” referring to the president playing “golf,” opposing the explosion of “food stamps,” or being concerned about “welfare fraud,” are really sly reminders to the party faithful that Barack Obama is black. So insidious are these dog-whistles, that the president, according to one MSNBC host, fell victim during the first debate when he refused to come out swinging because he feared he would be labeled an “angry black man.”

5. Vetting differential
The media are leaving no stone unturned in its vetting of Mitt Romney, probing his high-school antics and his wife’s horse therapy, fixating on his Bain Capital success, and turning the hunt for his tax records into a search for the Holy Grail. After four years in office, Obama remains a man of mystery as the media meekly accepted the narrative in his own autobiographies and then failed to follow up even on obvious stories. Who paid for his pricey schools? What about his school transcripts? How much cocaine did he use?

6. Debate ‘lies’
After Romney demolished Obama in the first debate, the media exchanged talking points with the president’s campaign and decided to go with the “Romney-lied” explanation of why their favored candidate tanked. While Obama seemed genuinely flummoxed when Romney insisted he did not have a $5 trillion tax cut plan, the media declared that and every other assertion made by Romney during the debate as untruthful.

7. Silent on U.N. rebuff
Obama decided to ignore pleas for bilateral meetings from world leaders gathered in New York for the annual United Nations gathering and instead booked an appearance on “The View.” Obama even rebuffed Benjamin Netanyahu’s urgent request for talks as Iran nears the final stage of its nuclear quest, while declaring himself “eye candy” for the ladies on the show. Imagine the howls in the press if it had been President Bush. But Obama’s outrageous foreign policy blunder received tame media attention.

8. Romney’s foreign trip ‘gaffes’
During Romney’s summer trip overseas, the media was all about finding gaffes even when none existed. His statement in London that Olympic security was “disconcerting”
was treated as the gaffe of the century, even though British newspapers were full of stories expressing the same concerns. In Israel, his “gaffe” was offending Palestinians by correctly saying their culture contributed to their problems. By the time he got to Poland, reporters were shouting “What about your gaffes?” during a solemn ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.

9. Gaffes differential
The same media outlets that ran Dan Quayle out of town for misspelling potato and turned every George W. Bush verbal misque into grounds for impeachment turn a blind eye to the gaffes that tumble out of the Democratic ticket. Biden is treated as like an endearing uncle, whose embarrassing statements are met with affectionate understanding. And any Obama rogue remark is usually conveniently ignored.

10. Mythical Obama
Ever since Obama burst on the scene, the media has portrayed him as a wonderful orator and a brilliant thinker. Aided by his trusty teleprompter and the lapdog mainstream media, he was able to keep up the charade throughout his presidency. That is until the first debate, when he stammered his way through ponderous answers and the nation finally saw what conservatives already knew—this president is a lightweight.